The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has taken action against Airtel, instructing the telecommunications company to compensate its customers due to a service disruption that occurred over the weekend.
Under the leadership of Managing Director Hussam Baday, Airtel Zambia faced a significant network outage that frustrated many subscribers who were unable to access their services. The interruption impacted various online services, including taxi bookings, mobile money transfers, and betting platforms.
While Airtel reported that the outage primarily affected internet services, numerous customers indicated that they were also unable to make calls or use mobile money features.
ZICTA confirmed that the service disruption affected users in several areas, including Lusaka and the Southern, Western, Central, and Eastern Provinces, and lasted for over three hours.
In response to this incident, Airtel has been mandated to reimburse affected customers a total of US$143,000 as per the Consumer Protection Guidelines. Additionally, the company must expedite improvements to its network infrastructure, especially at its key data centres, to enhance network reliability by February 28th. Airtel must also implement strategies to address ongoing network issues and ensure compliance with consumer protection standards.
ZICTA emphasised its commitment to safeguarding consumer interests and providing dependable communication services. The Authority has promised to implement corrective actions to prevent similar situations.
